Hannah Thompson's most prominent memory from her first high school gymnastics season came from a loss.

Thompson, a junior at Oak Park-River Forest, thought back to the Huskies' meet with Glenbard West on Jan. 22. The Hilltoppers — who eventually won the state championship — were the clear favorites.

OPRF, quite frankly, had very little chance to win. But that didn't matter to Thompson.

Thompson had competed for Legacy Elite Gymnastics her first two years of high school, and the Glenbard West meet was her first time experiencing senior night with the Huskies. A raucous crowd of family and friends watched as OPRF turned in its best team score of the season.

Glenbard West still won 150.20-143.90, but the excitement was something that Thompson never felt while competing in club gymnastics.

Thompson kept OPRF's senior night in mind as she worked her way through the state series. She qualified for last weekend's state meet in Palatine, where she closed out a sold season with a seventh-place finish on the uneven bars and a tie for 18th on the vault.

Thompson scored a 9.425 on the bars in the finals and a 9.375 on the vault in the preliminary round.

"When I was at my old gym, I was on a Level 10 team, and I regularly talked to maybe one person in the three years I was at that gym," Thompson said of competing at the highest level of junior gymnastics in the U.S. "That was not so good. But in high school, we have two JV teams, we have the varsity. And although there is some distinction naturally, because we work in different groups, the cohesion and bond of the whole team being OPRF gymnastics is crazy. Everyone is cheering for each other 100 percent of the time.

Palatine High School hosted the state girls gymnastics finals Feb. 16-17, 2018.

(Brian O'Mahoney / Chicago Tribune)

"You see the girls in the hall, the teachers know what it's about because it's at the school. You get that whole feeling. It's being part of a bigger community, and really is just more supportive."

The primary seed for change was planted in March 2017, when Thompson broke her elbow on a bars routine. She had two screws placed in the elbow and was forced to sit out for three months. During that time, she began to think about what she wanted to accomplish through her sport. Competing at Legacy required Thompson to leave OPRF after sixth period every day, take the train west practice from 2 to 6 p.m., then take the train back home.

Her broken elbow provided a chance to re-evaluate that routine and what changes she could make.

So, prior to the school year, Thompson left Legacy. That allowed her to finish school at a normal time each day, run cross-country in the fall and represent her school in gymnastics during the winter months.

"I just feel blessed that Hannah walked through our doors," OPRF coach Kris Wright said. "What she did prior to coming here was just an entirely different style — working out six days a week, four hours a day. It's different, it's brutal. It's like having a job. And in high school, there's still expectations and desire for excellence, but the team camaraderie is different.

"The girls jelled very well. She was able to set in as a team leader because she was in tougher situations, and she's able to share some of that with our girls."

Thompson said she will continue to coach 3- to 9-year-olds in gymnastics through The Park District of Oak Park as she continues to train for next season. She's also expected to be a captain as a senior.

"I'd heard more and more people talk about their transitions from club sports to high school sports, and the reviews were very much positive," Thompson said. "And to this point, the transition has been great. I've loved every single minute of it."